Manufacturers of corrugated paper products, such as corrugated boxes, trays, and flat corrugated sheets, typically arrange their product in bundles. The bundles are arranged in layers, or tiers, and stacked vertically to form loads of the product for transportation to customers. To facilitate load stability, the bundles that comprise each layer are often positioned in a pattern such that at least one of the bundles is rotated 90 degrees relative to the other bundles of the layer. The load is usually stacked on a pallet and banded together to facilitate handling of the load.
Current methods for arranging the bundles into layers involve transporting the bundles via a conveyor to a stack build area and, during transport, providing various positioning apparatuses, such as stationary and/or moving rails, poles, plates, etc., that contact the bundles such that the bundles are moved laterally and/or rotated to a desired position. These current methods have several limitations. For example, particularly with respect to rotation of the bundles, the methods require stopping and starting of the transport conveyor. In addition to slowing the production rate, such stoppages and restarts contribute to bundle degradation, caused by the individual sheets of the bundle sliding relative to one another, additional wear on the machinery, and additional energy consumption. A further limitation or disadvantage of current methods includes the inability of the positioning apparatuses to process multiple bundles simultaneously.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a bundle arrangement apparatus and method that allows for increased processing rates while maintaining the quality of the bundles and the individual sheets that comprise the bundle.